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Prune highbush
blueberries in February up until bud swell. In the
first and second season, prune very lightly, only removing dead
or broken branches. In the third and fourth seasons,
prune lightly, removing some of the spindly growth and cut our any
weak, broken or dead shoots. In and after the fifth season,
cut out the weakest young (unbranched) shoots from the previous season,
and remove about 20% of the older canes from the base.
When pruning mature plants, you want to prune so that
the flower buds are in a "pickable" zone, in the top and around the
outside of the bush, not low or in the interior. Flower buds
are nearest the tips of the branches and are fat and rounded.
The leaf buds are lower down on the canes or branches and are
smaller and pointed. |
